Friend, Stephen White has just released his soundtrack to the game, Break Blocks. I was given the gracious option to do a remix of the theme song, so here it is! It was my first attempt at chiptune so I hope you guys enjoy it! I know I enjoyed working on it. 🙂

To kick off a series of posts presented over the next month or so, covering albums I consider important to me. I will start with the mind explodingly amazing album, Strati by Stemage.

In 2006, Stemage released his solo album Strati. Catchy riffs, honest vocals and lyrics were all pieces to this great listening experience. From a collection of amped up songs like: Anosmium and Fabulous Fabulist. To the more introspective tracks such as: Luna and In Dependence. An album that is full of variety, while still retaining its identity is something not to be passed up.

Around the time it came out I was still fairly new to music. I listened to your typical popular artists like: Pink Floyd, Queen, David Bowie, Gorillaz and others I don’t care to mention right now. After hearing the record Strati, my musical cherry had exploded into confetti of crack addicted, rainbow-oozing squirrels. Doing the horns (\m/) in rhythm to the music, while shedding a single manly tear. For the emotions I had experienced in connection to the music were unrivaled.

In short, this album had heart. Something in which most artists now days don’t have or even attempt to bring to the table. It’s cliche, but music can become jaded with with the abuse of post production work. It loses it’s raw feeling. It’s connection to the person who wrote and or performed it begins to wear thin and becomes something distant and unattached. While it is good to have great music sound equally amazing, you know when you’re losing something for the sake of production and perfection. The beauty and complexity of our humanity becomes dominated by machines and is altered to match what is called “correct” and “perfect”. We lose who we are when that happens. I think I ranted, but I wanted to say that.

Anyway, in short this album is a perfect blend of artist and production. Something in which we can actually feel what he is playing and singing. So, do yourself a favor and check it out. And don’t forget to try and actually feel the words, rhythms, melodies and timbre of his voice wash over you.

I want to start a small blog series about certain albums that have a special place in my life. Albums that play on more than just occasion. Part of the reason I want to do this is simply for a self awareness. To meditate on why these albums are so important to me. What about them clutches me in their grasp and have me hanging on every second of sound being played. 1…2…3…4… That’s what I hope to accomplish. To learn something about myself. I hope to start that sometime this week but in other news,

I’m writing a book.

A book in which I don’t know how long it will be or how it will even end. In my last blog post I mentioned I was starting an album and that’s what this book is in a sense. It’s the story on the which the album will be based. The reason I decided to actually write a story instead of just write the music is because I wanted to get as close to the feelings and emotions as I can. Writing it seemed the best way to start. So once I finish the story I will start the music and start an intense editing process. I want this to be perfect for you guys. I want this to be perfect for me. This is going to prove to be the most difficult artistic endeavor I have ever made and I want it to mean something special to me and hopefully once it’s done to you as well. More info will be provided as I continue with it but for now this is all I can say.

I can’t say much about the album I’m working on other than it’s big. Big and scary. It’s going to be a concept record so I need more time to work through what it’s actually about before I can even start the music. It’s coming along nicely though. A lot of gamers I think are going to be able to connect with it and know where I’m coming from.

But before all that needs to be finished, I have to do a few remixes/arrangements. A few for a mana album and 1 for a friends album release. I’m considering Songs for the Cure this year but I’m getting hammered by life lately so we’ll see if I can work well under pressure.

So this is going to be my new site. I had a previous one but it was kind of confusing I think to some people. First order of business is to let you all know a new Charity album featuring Stemage and Chunkstyle of Metroid Metal on a collab with me and also a collab with Jeff Ball, Sabrina Valenzuela and Joe Cavers.